Ghost Toki
Ancient Tekel legends tell of a toki... A young, strong toki that lived in the forests of Tarati. He was kind and brave, and always liked to help others. But he wondered if there was something more... He felt there was something missing in his life. One day, wandering through the forest, he found it. A female toki stood there, looking straight back at him. The toki smiled and asked her name, and she told him her name was Lua-Tak. Instantly it felt like the big gap in his heart was filled up and overflowing! Previously it had been thought that no toki was able to fall in love. They didn't need it. Each year they would choose a mate, sometimes against their will. The courtship was brief and unromantic. But for the first time, a toki had fallen in love. They talked for a while, until it became dark. The two said farewell and parted ways underneath the two full moons of Tarati, and promised to meet each other again. The next day, the toki found Lua at the same spot. They went off together, hand in hand. Lua showed him all her favourite places on Tarati, and the toki would show her his. They hunted and ate together, and it was pure bliss. Eventually the day ended once more and the toki left, promising to return the next day. This happened again and again. Lua-Tak would wait at the same spot they met until the toki arrived, then they would spend the entire day with each other. The toki always felt sad every time night fell and he had to get back to his clan, and the next morning he would happily race to the place where Lua waited for him. His clan began getting suspicious. Why did this toki leave every morning, disappear for the entire day and come back at nightfall? They asked him over and over, but he would only smile and say nothing. He wanted their love to be secret. Eventually, the mating season began. His clan woke up and started with the usual courtship rituals. The toki was thrilled. Today he was going to ask Lua to be his mate, and he was positive she'd say yes. His clan wanted him to join in the courtship rituals. He was a great toki, and everyone was sure he could get a good mate. Before he could leave to find Lua, he was held up by his own clan and they tried to persuade him to join. He politely refused and tried to make a getaway, but they wouldn't let him slip away so easily. They wanted to know why he didn't join them in any clan rituals anymore. They wanted to know where he was all day. Meanwhile, Lua waited at the spot they met. It was mating season, and she had taken extra care today to make herself look beautiful. She was thrilled. Today she was going to ask him to be her mate, and she was positive he'd say yes. Back at the clan, the toki was getting hammered by more and more questions. His clan persisted tirelessly, trying to find out his secret. Eventually, it was too much. The toki gave in and began telling the entire story, from the day they met to the day he was going to ask her to be his mate. He confessed his love to his friends and family, and told them that Lua was going to be his mate no matter what. His clan was shocked. No toki had ever fallen in love! It was all against the tradition. Lua was getting seriously worried now. Usually he would arrive at sunrise every day, but already the sun was high in the sky. Something was up. She began to panic. What if he had completely chickened out? What if he didn't want to be her mate, and he had gone off with another female? Tears ran down her face. She thought her love was real... Sobbing, she ran off into the dark depths of the forest. Her life had been crushed. She just couldn't accept it... She decided that there was no purpose in her life anymore. She was going to commit suicide. Meanwhile, the toki was getting agitated. Lua was probably waiting for him. He snarled and told his family that there was nothing else they could do to change his mind. He loved Lua, and he wouldn't let his clan order him around. He threatened to leave and never come back, and eventually they surrendered and said he could do what he liked. Triumphant, he ran off to find Lua. Lua ran further and further into the forest. Eventually it became so thick that not even a sliver of sunlight could pierce the canopy. Tears streaked her face as she fled. She wanted to end her life as quickly as possible, she couldn't bear it anymore. All of a sudden she tripped on a tree root and fell face down into the swamp. She struggled to get up, but she felt cold hands holding her down into the mud. Someone was trying to drown her! Lua didn't care though. She had completely given up on life. The toki arrived at the spot, carrying a bunch of tropical flowers. He gasped when he saw she was not there. His worst fears were confirmed! Panicking, he looked around for her and called her name, but no answer. All of a sudden he noticed something strange on the ground. The earth below him was stained with small tear droplets. He sniffed them, and realized that they trailed off in the direction of the dark forest nearby. He gulped and followed them, dreading what he would find. Lua felt a heavy weight on her back. Something was trying to kill her. Clawed hands pushed her further into the muddy water. Tokis can hold their breath for a very long time, but not forever. Lua was already beginning to black out. As it got darker and more swampy, the other toki had to rely on faint telltale signs to find his way. A line snaking through the mud. The familiar scent of fresh flowers. A branch carelessly pushed aside. He ran, getting more and more nervous as he went further into the gloom. He tried to make out a strange shape ahead of him. It looked like a toki, but its body was strangely muscular and twisted. He recognized it immediately - a rogue toki. Rogue tokis were large, brutal creatures with a disgusting habit of eating their own kind. He winced and slithered forward, trying to make out the smaller shape underneath the toki. Lua! The rogue was trying to drown her! Lua lay there, lifeless. She didn't even struggle. He let out a cry of pain and was about to charge at the rogue when something knocked him flat. A second rogue arrived, with long teeth and bloodshot eyes. The toki struggled and fought against the powerful grip of the rogue. But the toki was better. He twisted round and bit the rogue on the arm, and didn't let go. The rogue howled in pain and tried to shake him off, but he held the rogue firmly in his jaws. He gave another twist and a sickening crunch was heard. The rogue wailed and pulled his mangled, broken arm free, and ran off as fast as his tail could take him. The toki didn't pause to watch him go. He was in a frenzy. Immediately he leapt at the other rogue that held Lua down, and sank his teeth into the rogue's neck. The rogue snarled and used his powerful arms to claw him free. The rogue released Lua and targeted the toki, roaring in anger. He pounced, but the toki was too quick for him. He dodged around and clawed the rogue on the back. This toki was an excellent fighter, and the rogue was no match for his speed and cunning. He ran circles around the rogue, tiring it out. The rogue howled in frustration, nearly out of breath. The toki used his opportunity to rescue Lua. Lua had been released, but she wasn't moving. Panicking, he felt her heartbeat. No pulse. He shook Lua, trying to wake her up. But his worst fears had been confirmed - Lua was dead. He roared in anger and pain, a hard lump in his throat. His face were streaked with tears and blood. He tried to say something, but it only came out as a choked hiss. He lay his head on Lua's chest and sobbed his heart out. Meanwhile, the rogue had got its breath back and began charging at the mourning toki. He noticed, but didn't care. There was nothing left for him now. A smile spread across his face. He embraced death. His death was quick and easy. The rogue killed him with amazing precision. He fell into his lover's arms, a cold smile on his face. Satisfied, the rogue slithered up to the dead couple. He came forward, but all of a sudden something spooked him. He turned and fled, to find a different sort of prey. ~ That night, the toki did not return to his clan as usual. Days passed, and his family began wondering what had happened. A week went by without him showing up. His clan decided that he had left forever, as he threatened before he disappeared. Nobody looked for him. A year went by and he was nearly forgotten. Exactly a year after his death, one of his brothers went hunting in the forest. Seeing something moving in the bushes, he crouched and prepared to pounce. He leapt after the creature, but it was too quick and dodged him. The creature ran off, with the toki in hot pursuit. He ran through the trees, gaining on the creature. He was almost upon it when he tripped over something and crashed to the ground. The creature escaped into the undergrowth. The toki spat in frustration and went back to see what had stumbled him. He gasped as he inspected it - The dead bodies of two tokis lay on the ground, still in each other's arms. He immediately recognized one of the bodies as his brother, and he was just about to call to his friends when one of the bodies stirred. He looked down, confused. He was sure one of their arms twitched... ZING! All of a sudden, he fell down stunned. A blue-white mist began to form, swirling around the bodies. Trembling, the toki looked up to see a pale white skeleton looming over him. The skeleton seemed to give a hysterical smile and he raised his arm. The toki's death was quick and clean. The Ghost Toki looked hurt, then faded back into nothingness. Nothing could console him for his lost love. Meanwhile, some tokis were wondering where their friend had gone. They called his name over and over, but no reply. They decided to follow his tracks, just in case something bad had happened. Weapons in hand, 5 of them went off into the forest to look for him. The tracks went deep into the forest, until eventually it was impossible to see the sun. Something was suspicious. The deathly silence was broken by one of the tokis screaming in horror. Shaking, he pointed to something up ahead. They ran up to it and discovered three bodies, all in each others arms. A blue-white mist was beginning to form around them. The Ghost Toki rose up behind them, bones gleaming. Tongues of blue fire flickered around him. The group of tokis ran, but the Ghost Toki was faster. Only one survived, and lived to tell the tale. So never go out into the swamp, where no sunlight touches. You might just find an unpleasant surprise... Of course, that's just a horror story to scare the young tokis... right?